Cold weather a gift to scientists

You may despise it, but researchers at the University of Manitoba’s Sea-ice Environmental Research Facility (SERF) are delighted by this cold weather.

“There are a lot of brave people working outside at the facility right now because it’s just wonderful conditions for us to conduct our research,” said Feiyue Wang, a lead scientist at SERF and a professor in the U of M’s department of environment and geography, and department of chemistry.

SERF is a unique laboratory: a large, outdoor, saltwater pond equipped with sophisticated devices that monitor the pond’s sea ice formation. By “growing” sea ice under controlled conditions, scientists better understand how sea ice forms and melts on polar oceans, and gain insight into the processes that regulate the exchange of molecules between the ocean and atmosphere. This research laboratory is key to helping scientists better understand climate change.